Master of Business Administration Program Guide

Faculty of Business MBA for executives

Your schedule. Your pace. Your MBA. Athabasca University’s fully flexible, fully asynchronous online MBA lets you learn while you work - anywhere, anytime. Build the leadership skills to move your career forward without pressing pause.

Joy Romero

Carter Yellowbird

Heather Buffalo

Rae Shungur

Larry Berglund

Angela Workman Stark

Tannis Lavinuk

Claudette McGowan

PROGRAM PROMISE

A business education that fits your schedule Athabasca University’s (AU) Master of Business Administration (MBA) puts you in control of your education with the flexibility that suits your career— and your life. Unlike traditional MBA programs, we offer online, asynchronous, paced courses throughout the program, meaning you can study whenever it suits you from anywhere in the world.

With 4 different admission routes, AU’s MBA program caters to applicants from a wider range of educational and professional experience than other MBA programs. This allows us to bring in learners with

Master of Business Administration

more diverse backgrounds in business, which provides you with a richer experience. We have kept this at the heart of our MBA ever since it was established in 1994—as the first online MBA program in the world.

Ultimately, we have designed and structured our MBA program to give you the concepts, frameworks, and tools you need to stand out in business, grow your professional network, and unlock greater career opportunities.

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program at a glance Degree

Duration

Delivery

Master of Business Administration

Standard entry route:

Online, asynchronous, paced.

Credits

Finish in as little as 2.5 years.

Must be completed in 5 years.

48*

Accelerated entry route:

*Accelerated entry route: 30 credits

Finish in as little as 1.5 years.

Must be completed in 4 years.

Application deadlines and start dates:

October 15 start the following January March 15 start the following May June 15 start the following August

Master of Business Administration

There are 4 routes to entry into the program.

This means each course has its own scheduled start, end, and assignment deadline dates.

Course selection You will be pre-registered in core courses upon admission to the program.

Tuition, fees, and financing options Learn more about tuition and fees on our website. To discuss financing options for your MBA, including employer sponsorships, scholarships, awards, and bursaries, contact our graduate recruitment team by email at fb-business@athabascau.ca.

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

What’s expected of you?

Dedication

Foster ideas

Dig deep

Dedicate an average of 20 to 25 hours to your studies per week.

Cultivate the strength of your arguments and engage with your cohorts and professors in sharing thoughtful, analytical, and insightful perspectives.

Participation is integral to the AU peer-to-peer learning model.

Take the time needed— to think and reflect, to craft a response, or to make sure you understand someone else’s argument. This is fundamental and will help you move from memorization to mastery.

Link theory to practice Take what you’ve learned and put it into practice at your workplace.

We’re here for you!

Academic facilitated groups

Graduate enrolment advisors

Within each course, professors establish groups of no more than 10 students and stay actively involved, facilitating discussions to ensure a high level of academic interaction and engagement.

All MBA students are assigned an enrolment advisor upon acceptance to help you manage your schedule and meet your degree requirements.

Support services for AU students

Student and alumni relations

Our support service teams offer all the guidance, advice, and resources you might need—from program and course advising, tutoring, and learning support to mental health, accessibility, financial aid, exam writing, and technical support.

Stay connected with AU while you study and after graduation through our student and alumni relations teams—and get exclusive alumni discounts. We also connect AU MBA alumni through a private LinkedIn group, which currently has over 2,500 members.

Find more details on AU’s MBA program

Master of Business Administration

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ENTRY ROUTES

Get more from the work you’ve put in There are 4 routes to entry into the program with requirements that cater to different educational and professional experience.

Standard Entry Undergraduate degree + 3 years managerial experience

Accelerated Entry You have an undergraduate degree in business completed in the past 10 years + 3.0 GPA or higher for the last 60 credits earned + 3 years managerial experience

These are minimum requirements and do not guarantee acceptance. The admissions committee will make a decision based on a comprehensive review of your application, including work experience, academic performance, transcripts, references, and written compositions.

Master of Business Administration

Professional Designation Holders You hold an accepted professional designation + 5 years of managerial experience

Progressive Management Experience You have at least 8 years of progressive managerial experience

Find out if you qualify for AU’s MBA

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OUR CREDIBILITY

Let’s get down to business AU is a global leader in business education.

1st online MBA in the world

AU’s MBA has brought high-quality business education to working professionals for over 30 years.

In fact, established in 1994, our online MBA is the first of its kind and remains a global leader in the delivery of online business education.

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business A world of connections at your fingertips

Our professors and students come from industries across Canada and throughout the world. As you build relationships, you’ll see how this diversity of knowledge, opinion, and life experience adds depth to the program’s curriculum and helps students understand how theories can be applied in a variety of contexts.

AU MBA graduates in the thousands 40,000+ AU students

Master of Business Administration

Less than 6 per cent of the world’s business schools hold AACSB accreditation.

Since launching the program in 1994, we have over 4,600 MBA graduates and growing.

The AU community is bigger than you think. We have over 40,000 active learners from across Canada and around the world.

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OUR STUDENTS

Don’t take our word for it…

“

It was definitely the AU community that tipped the scale for me. They were very good at answering my questions and were very responsive.

—Laurie Wang, MBA ‘23 Vice president, Legal Aid Alberta Read Wang’s story.

“

I had a good experience at Athabasca University [with my HR certificate], so I thought it was something that I could do while I had all these other things going on in my life.

—Ceilia Koehler, MBA ‘23 Regional manager, employee relations, Amazon Read Koehler’s story.

“

I was surprised at the depth of the people taking the course.

This person is doing well already.

Why am I here? These are some ultra-successful people.

—Bob Willows. MBA ‘19 President and CEO, Willows Construction Read Willows’ story.

Find more stories of AU MBA grads on our website Master of Business Administration

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AU’s MBA current learners at a glance Average age of Learners:

42 years

Average active learners:

300 - 400

53% identify as male

47% identify as female

Students from industries including:

Students with job titles including:

• Agriculture, forestry, and renewable resources

• Branch Manager

• Arts, entertainment, and culture

• Chief Financial Officer

• Construction, industry development, and real estate

• Clinical Manager

• Consulting

• Controller

• Education

• Director of Business Development

• Energy, mining, oil and gas

• Director of Finance

• Engineering

• Director of Operations

• Finance and insurance

• Director of Sales

• Government and public service

• General Manager

• Health care

• HR Manager

• Hospitality

• Logistics Manager

• Information technology

• Operations Foreman

• Manufacturing

• Operations Manager

• Military and policing

• President/CEO/Owner

• Not-for-profit and social services

• Principal Engineer

• Retail and wholesale trade

• Project Manager

• Transportation and logistics

• Senior Manager

• Utilities and telecommunications

• Vice President

Master of Business Administration

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PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Here’s how it works AU’s MBA program is divided into 3 phases plus a capstone.

A unique benefit to AU’s MBA program is the Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) students are awarded following the completion of Phase 1, and one course from Phase 2.

Phase 1 Core 5 CO R E CO U R S E S Build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in the key areas of general management, including: • Strategic Management • Human Resources Management

Learn more about the accelerated entry program structure

• Financial and Managerial Accounting • Marketing Management • Operations Management

Master of Business Administration

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PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Phase 2 Core continued 3 S P E C I A L I Z E D CO R E CO U R S E S Dive deeper into key senior management-related issues, opportunities, and strategies, solidifying your holistic, organizational view of the senior management function.

Students awarded GDM After completing Phase 1 and one Phase 2 course, you will receive a stand-alone GDM-so you come away with 2 designations.

• Ethical Decision Making • Managerial Economics and Finance • Business Analytics for Strategic Decision Making

“

The applied project enriched my learning experience. It partnered me with an expert as my project supervisor and mentor. This also allowed me to demonstrate my own growth across the program. The customizable options and topic selection empowered my leadership development.

—Natasha Pedersson, MBA ‘23

Master of Business Administration

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PROGRAM STRUCTURE / CUSTOMIZE

Make your MBA your own Our MBA program is both flexible and customizable. Whether you want to increase your expertise in a specific field or branch out into new disciplines, there are a number of ways you can design a program built for your goals.

Use your work scenarios as case studies Within almost all core courses, weekly discussions and individual assignments focus on connecting your learning directly to your company and industry. Our goal is to move you beyond imagining what you “might” do within a scenario and instead help you connect your learning to what is happening in the real world and your workplace. You will come away from each course with tangible and usable knowledge and abilities.

You’ll also have a series of deliverables you can take back to your organization.

Choose the electives you want You can choose to concentrate on one subject area (stream) or mix things up and take courses in completely different subject areas, including: • Project Management • Entrepreneurship • IT Management • Leadership • Operations Management • Strategy

Phase 3

• Finance • International Business

Electives are organized into four specialized streams including:

MBA in residence • IT & Digital Strategy Stream • Strategy, Organizational Behaviour & Leadership Stream • Technology, Innovation & Operations Stream • Finance, Economics & Banking Stream

Master of Business Administration

AU MBA students can complete in-residence electives, which combine online work with an intensive week of on-location, face-to-face instruction or a hybrid, synchronous option (depending on the elective). These courses cover a variety of business topics and are offered throughout the year. In-residence electives are held in locations across Canada. Learn more about the MBA in-residence on our website.

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PROGRAM STRUCTURE / CUSTOMIZE

Capstone Project The Capstone is a 10-week culminating project that brings together the knowledge, skills, and frameworks you have developed throughout the MBA. You will investigate a business challenge, opportunity, or research question and apply theories, models, and evidence from your courses to generate meaningful insights and practical solutions.

You may choose one of four pathways, depending on your goals and interests: • Primary Business Research Design Project – The design of an investigation to address a clearly defined business question, including the formulation of research objectives, development of a methodological approach, and specification of primary data collection and analysis strategies.

Students awarded Master of Business Administration

• Simulation – An immersive experience in which you manage a virtual company and complete a reflective analysis of your decisions and outcomes.

• Consultancy Project – A practice-based engagement where you act as a consultant to an organization and deliver recommendations on a real business problem.

• Applied Project – A project focused on the direct application of theoretical knowledge to a realworld business context, often using secondary data or case analysis.

Learn more on our website

Master of Business Administration

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

Master business

AU’s MBA is designed for your success.

It will prepare you to take the next step in your career, challenging you with real-world application, so you can be ready for what’s next. As an MBA student at AU, you will: • Develop and hone your ability to think strategically at a high-level • Build foundational knowledge in multidiscipline and multifunctional business areas • Think critically and become a more effective decision maker • Link theory and practice in varying contexts, enhancing your ability to apply knowledge using models, frameworks, and tools that enhance business performance • Enhance your project management and change management skills • Further develop your leadership and related interpersonal skills • Hone your written communication and research skills

Master of Business Administration

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Get more value through our partners

You could earn credit towards your MBA, finish the program faster, or even earn a second credential through one of our partnerships.

MBA for Accountants In partnership with Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Canada: • Get up to 9 credits towards your MBA, allowing you to finish up to 6 months faster, with a CPA designation (applies also to CA, CMA, CGA designations).

MBA for Health Leaders In collaboration with the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL): • MBA credits are transferable to the Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation program, Canada’s only professional credential available to health leaders.

MBA for Supply Chain Managers In partnership with the Supply Chain Canada: • Get up to 9 credits towards your MBA, allowing you to finish up to 6 months faster, with a Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) designation.

Learn more about our partnerships

Master of Business Administration

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Interested in applying to our MBA program?

Apply Now

For assistance: 1-800-788-9041 ext. 6189 (toll-free in North America) fb-business@athabascau.ca Find us on social media!